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May 16, 2024

Wineglass Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Wineglass Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 210 [displaying comments 141 to 151]

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K. H. from Pennsylvania (7/25/2007) "Great Small Race" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course was awesome and gorgeous that time of year. I was under-trained but still ran a good time and recovered quickly. The course does not destroy you like some other courses. The course was nicely laid out and the support was adequate for its size. I strongly recommend this race to everybody. I haven't done a big marathon to compare it to yet, but I think for a small marathon it was GREAT!
B. H. from Omaha, NE (2/26/2007) "Beautiful Fall Landscape" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my one and only marathon but I really enjoyed the little towns of Corning and Bath. The spectators were very helpful along the way, especially the Boy Scouts handing out water towards the end. They were so excited, which was helpful because by that point I was not. The only parts that I didn't like in the course came around mile 16 where there is a long boring stretch and then you have to run through a town on a busy roadway. I LOVE the wine and medal that you get for running the race! The medal is glass from Corning's glass museum. The next day we ventured around upstate wine country to hydrate ourselves. ;-) We also stayed at a bed and breakfast, which was really nice because we had the house all to ourselves. All in all, it was a great (painful) experience.
T. H. from Orlando, FL (1/7/2007) "Sorry - this one was an unexpected disappointment" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 For the 25th running of a marathon, I expected so much more. PROS: 1. Quaint towns and countryside to run through. 2. Easy start - few hassels. 3. Dick Beardsley spoke at pre-race dinner. CONS: 1.Early start advertised on website but NOT honored by race officials. I had even contacted the race director team to verify prior to registration. 2. They charged for the bus ride to the starting area. 3. No water available at the pre-race dinner. Lemonade was flowing. 4. They sold prior-year finisher's medals for $1 or $2 each at the expo. (Don't think prior finishers would feel that represented their effort.) 5. No town support - host hotel didn't even know there was a marathon occuring that they were hosting. 6. Many course volunteers were smoking while handing out water/PowerAde drinks. 7. Aid stations were too few and too far spaced. 8. Portion of the course was on a road with cars doing 55+ mph past you. 9. No food at the finish for slower finishers. 10. No advance promotion of Dick Beardsley at pre-race dinner. 11. Expo packet hand-out started late and was VERY unorganized.
jeanne Louise from Maryland, USA (12/1/2006) "My favorite marathon" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had read about the beauty of the course and the unique Corning Glass finisher's medal. I'm SO glad they drew me to register for this one! It is indeed my favorite marathon to date (including Disney World Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon, by the way!). I absolutely LOVED this marathon. The small-town feeling and hands-on treatment were wonderful! I recommend the pre-race dinner, which was delicious, and guest speaker Dick Beardsley was phenomenal. The course was interesting and personable, passing through quaint downtown Bath, and past rustic shops, farms, and countryside, with many friendly volunteers manning the water stops. There is no screaming-crowd spectating; if that's what you like and need, this isn't where you'll find it. I personally prefer smaller events, with time to enjoy the marathon journey without bands, undue noise and hullabaloo. To me, this marathon was lovely and perfect. I do urge you to carry some gels or other nutritional support, because that is not provided along the course. Gatorade was available at all water stops. Do make use of the port-o-potties when you can, because once you pass mile 18, I don't remember seeing any - and I was LOOKING - by then the course is along some fairly public highway, then into Corning neighborhoods and parks, where ducking into roadside overgrowth is no longer an option. The race expo was small, but so was the field of runners - around 600, I believe. I felt that everyone involved really supported and encouraged the runners in this event. What a GREAT weekend! I enjoyed shopping in Corning, and wished I'd given myself some extra days in the area to enjoy visiting the Corning Glass Museum and other attractions. Extremely nice tech shirt, HUGE glass finisher's medal, and a small souvenir bottle of NY state champagne round out the runner's packet. Fresh apples and hot soup after the finish. A truly memorable and enjoyable event!
Dave Vallett from Vermont, USA (10/25/2006) "Fun, small and well-run in a scenic area." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 My first Wineglass Marathon. Agree with previous posts that the course info may be misleading. As a Vermonter, the hills were nothing, but if you were expecting a very flat or even downhill course, this will have some surprises for you. The glass medals are awesome. Post-race food was also great - hot pizza, hot soup, plus the usual cold goodies. If pre-race restrooms are your best friends, take an EARLY bus and head for the indoor bathrooms at the Lighting Plant (women especially - there was a LONG line just before the race started!). Course is rural and scenic, though light on spectators. The relay racers and their friends/families were very supportive of the marathoners - a nice touch. And Corning is a lovely little town to hang around in before or after the race. Don't expect a large EXPO - there was one vendor with one table.
Lee Myers from Cochranton PA. (10/10/2006) "Fast course, and a fun place to visit" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Corning is a great place to visit. My family cannot wait to go back to the glass factory! Make sure you make reservations to make your own glass ornament. First the positive: the start in Bath at the light factory is excellent. Plenty of bathroom facilities. Good, gentle decline through the town of Bath, and then gentle decline over small country roads. Although roads were not closed, there was not much traffic and I personally felt safe with plenty of shoulder to run on. The good part with this is my wife and daughter drove almost the entire route, except last few miles, where I got to have much needed support from them that other courses would not have had. This was very helpful because spectators were very minimal. You would think a race in it's 25th year could get better fan support. Race directors, if you are listening, get the word out to the locals. This could make a good race in to a great race! The finish across the small bridge to the light factory/museum is very good, but again, go from good to great - get the word out and this could be awesome! I only remember one mentionable mild incline at around mile 14 and then you got to have a nice descent right after. This is definitely a fast course with mild declines that don't beat you up! Aid stations were very good. The other things that would make this race great instead of just very good would be a better expo - this one was just plain pathetic. The pre-race dinner is in a cramped tent. Either increase the size of the tent or, better yet, find an indoor venue that could be used. Food was good and Dick Beardsley was an outstanding speaker. I am so glad I got the chance to listen to him speak. Truely motivational!!! Thank you to the Y.M.C.A for shower facilities after the race. Even though I didn't run as well as planned, I did have a wonderful experience and am looking forward to visiting the area with my family soon. I hope the race directors will make some small improvments and listen to the runners' comments in order to make this the outstanding event it could be! Hope to be back in 2007.
M. F. from South Orange, NJ (10/9/2006) "Great course and great volunteers" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 11th marathon and my 1st time doing the Wineglass Marathon. I really enjoyed the course. The cost of lodging is very reasonable near the start or finish. A major highway parallels much of the course and makes it easy to get to/from the start and finish. There weren't any signs to help find the packet pick-up and the website doesn't clearly indicate where it is. I drove by it twice before I finally parked and found part of the "expo" hidden in a corner of the nearby parking garage (lame). From there someone directed me to the packet pick-up inside the building next door. Maybe we were approaching from the back but, regardless, a few signs around the parking area or roadway would have been a big help. The packet pick-up was pretty low-key. It seemed more like a 5K race than a marathon. I think the "expo" only consisted of two or three vendors. The race shirt was a boring, dark gray, long-sleeve, technical shirt with the a white 25th Anniversary Wineglass Marathon logo on the breast. Every time I look at it, the dark gray color and long sleeves makes me think of cold, dark, morning training runs. Parking at the start and finish is easy to find, abundant and free. The Philips Lighting factory building wasn't big enough for everyone, so most of the runners were outside in the parking lot. If the weather had been cold or wet, there would have been a very uncomfortable crowd squeezing into the factory building. I was surprised that there was no music being played over the PA system before the start. There were no pre-race refreshments (i.e. bagels, Gatorade) and only water... although there was a food trailer selling food so the runners weren't totally without any pre-race snack choices. The course is open to traffic and it's easy for family and friends to navigate and stop anywhere to cheer you on. Because of that you'll see a lot of the same faces as the spectators move along the course to cheer on their racer. I enjoyed seeing the same faces and I could tell they recognized me too. The bulk of the crowds seemed to be in the two towns where the transition areas were for the relay teams. My pace definitely picked up as I ran through those areas. Otherwise, there weren't a lot of specators along the course. I tend to prefer this. I like to run with some peace and quiet for awhile without the constant crowd noise of the bigger marathons. You tend to see the groups of spectators when you need it the most and it seems more meaningful that way. A good portion of the course is along country roads with soft shoulders to run on in many places. The course is relatively flat with a few rollers (not really hills) that help take the stress off of using the same leg muscles all the time. I didn't get much of a sense that there was a lot of community support. I didn't notice any "welcome" or marathon announcement signs in or around any of the towns we ran through. There were very few folks on their front yards cheering, and those who were out were very quiet. The volunteers were GREAT. There seemed to be an abundant supply of volunteers at each aid station. I've never noticed volunteers so cheerful at any other marathon (NYC, Boston, Philly). They really looked like they were having a lot of fun. Their enthusiasm certainly rubbed off on me and my pace seemed to quicken after each aid station. The finish was at a small but very nice park and the food tent was close by. The post-race food was a step above bagels and bananas (bagels, bananas, oranges, soup, pizza, water and Coke) but nothing to rave about. Again, there was no music or entertainment at the finish line. Overall I enjoyed this event and would do it again. It was a very good value for the price of entry.
S. H. from Philadelphia, PA (10/9/2006) "A nice small-town feel" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I would definitely do this marathon again. I loved the small-town feel of it and the scenery was great. One of the first things I look at before registering for a marathon is the elevation chart and the Wineglass elevation was very encouraging. The course is not all downhill; there are some inclines, but nothing that you will die on. Expo: Very small but I didn't mind. All I need is my bib and shirt and I'm good to go. Spectators: Two thumbs up for the spectators. Considering the number of people running, I was surprised by the number of spectators. Definitely more than I expected. I especially liked the girl holding the sign that said "yay." That actually made me laugh in the later miles. Finish Line: Always a welcome sight. There were people lining the road leading to the finish - tons of energy and excitement. And the volunteers at the finish were great too. Someone came up to me and asked if I was okay, if I needed help. I've never been asked that at a larger marathon. (Note: I don't think I looked on the verge of collapse. I think/hope they ask everyone that. :))
Antonio De Vido from Pennsylvania (10/8/2006) "Fantastic Corning, NY & Great Organization" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The expo was convenient and the pasta dinner was fresh and tasty. Though the weather had been chilly the day before, the race day brought 50F+ temps and runners could go inside before the start in Bath, NY at the Phillips lighting plant. The bus to the start was also very professional. Remember to bring your own gel and I liked the concurrent running of the marathon relay, although the relay bibs should have been a different color so a glance could tell the story of who's who. There were no hills, as it ran in a river valley towards Corning.
C. B. from Colorado (10/8/2006) "Beautiful area but long lonely miles" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wineglass Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a beautiful part of the country and organized really well for such a small field. I agree that the race description is misleading to call it downhill. Flat terrain with some unexpected hills and lots of time in vacant cow fields. I ran much stronger and faster at Boston! The glass finisher's medal is my favorite so far and the post-race food and large number of massage therapists were perfect. If it is one of those days that you need strong crowd support and others runners to get you through hard miles, I would not recommend this course. Overall, enjoyable but I'll choose a different marathon next fall.

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